Hundreds of Albanian gathered in Tirana to protest the spike in oil and consumer good prices since February 2022.
In the early evening of Wednesday, March 9, a group of citizens gathered before the Prime Minister’s Office demanding hat the price of oil be lowered and VAT abolished.
Protestors then marched across Tirana’s main boulevard, blocking traffic at key access points. Citizens warned Prime Minister Edi Rama that protests will continue if their requests are not heard.
On Wednesday morning, the price of oil reached an unprecedented price of 250 lek (€2) per liter in some stations. This marks a 30% increase from the 192 lek price last Wednesday (€1,51) and a 50% increase over 2021’s average of 171 (€1,35).
During February, inflation in Albania reached a record rate of 3.9% while the cost of basic food items increased by almost 7%.
While increases may be lower than some other EU countries, they significantly impact society where a third live on or below the poverty line. The situation is further exacerbated by the depreciation of the lek against the euro following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, waged by Russia.
